Handling apparatus for couplings used in application of pipe coatings

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for removing a novel type of coupler from a coated joint of pipe. The coupler joins two pipes together during a coating operation and also protects the ends of the pipe from application of the coating. The coupler puller utilizes an elongated telescoping arm having clamp structure at one end for grasping the coupler and then pulling it relative to the joint of pipe. The arm is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and, when necessary, the arm can be reciprocated in a vertical plane to fracture the coating and thus loosen the coupler. The arm is also mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane so that once the coupler is removed from the pipe the arm can be swung through an arc of 180* to deposit the coupler at a point removed from the area of the coated pipe. The novel coupler comprises a unitary, open-ended, cylindrical sleeve with a webbed partition which bisects the sleeve. Thus two coupling compartments are presented so that a single coupler can be utilized to accommodate two joints of pipe.

Harris et al.

[ July 24, 1973- HANDLING APPARATUS FOR COUPLINGS USED IN APPLICATION OFPIPE COATINGS [75] Inventors: Robert J. Harris; Gail T. Sikes, both ofMarrero, La.

[73] Assignee: Price, H. C., Co., Bartlesville, Okla.

[22] Filed: May 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 145,750

1/1966 Lemelson.... 4/1969 Pronovost ..29/237 Primary Examiner-Harold D.Whitehead Assistant Examiner-J. C. Peters Attorney-Bradley and Wharton[57] ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for removing a novel type ofcoupler from a coated joint of pipe. The coupler joins two pipestogether during a coating operation and also protects the ends of thepipe from application of the coating. The coupler puller utilizes anelongated telescoping arm having clamp structure at one end for graspingthe couplerv and then pulling it relative to the joint of pipe. The armis mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and, when necessary, thearm can be reciprocated in a vertical plane to fracture the coating andthus loosen the coupler. The arm is also mounted for rotation in ahorizontal plane so that once the coupler is removed from the pipe thearm can be swung through an arc of 180 to deposit the coupler at a pointremoved from the area of the coated pipe.

The novel coupler comprises a unitary, open-ended, cylindrical sleevewith a webbed partition which bisects the sleeve. Thus two couplingcompartments are presented so that a single coupler can be utilized toaccommodate two joints of pipe.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures HANDLING APPARATUS FOR COUPLINGS USED INAPPLICATION OF PIPE COATINGS This invention relates to pipe coatingapparatus and,

more particularly, to a method and apparatus for removing couplers fromends of coated pipe.

In the pipe coatingindustry, where mastic-type coatings are applied tojoints of pipe to protect the pipe after it is placed below ground orbeneath a body of water, it is necessary to protect the ends of theindividual joints during the coating operation to provide cutawayportions of the coating which permit two joints of pipe to be joinedtogether in end-to-end relationship to present the pipeline. Thecovering which protectsthe ends of the pipe also serves to couple thejoints together during the coating operation so that acontinuous-uninterrupted coating process is possible. Thus it is commonto refer to the combination covering-coupler as simply a coupler andthis terminology will be used throughout the present applicationalthough it should be kept in mind that the coupler also provides aprotective covering for the end of a joint of pipe.

It has heretofore been the practice to utilize a male coupler member onone end of a jointof pipe and a female coupler member on the other endof a joint of pipe with each of the members beingjoined to an oppositeon the end of an adjacent pipe to present the coupler between the twojoints. When'the coating. operation is completed, the couplers must beremovedffr'om the ends of the pipe for finishing of the ends of thecoating and joining of two joints of' pipe. It has-been the practice toremove the male andfemale coupler members which are telescoped' over theends of apipe by having workmen exert sufficient leverage on the couplermember to manually pull it from the pipe. This requires a great deal oftwisting, turningand tugging on the part of the workmen to fracture thecoating at the point of juncture between the end of the coupler memherand the outer surface of the joint of pipe, and once the coating isfractured further considerable effort must be expended to remove thevery heavy coated coupler from the pipe and to deposit it at a locationfor cleanup. I

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a methodand apparatus for removing couplers from the ends of pipe wherein nomanual labor is required except for providing an operator for theapparatus.

This invention also has as one of its aims, a method and apparatus forremoving couplers from pipe wherein a single piece of equipment isprovided for pulling the coupler from an end of a joint of pipe, movingthe coupler through a horizontal arc, and depositing it at a locationremote from the location of the pipe thereby substantially reducing thetime required for removal of the couplers.

One of the objects of the present invention is also to provide a methodand apparatus for the removal of couplers from joints of pipe wherebyall danger of damage to the coupler from prying tools and rough handlingon the part of laborers is eliminated by utilizing a mechanical pullerhaving power actuated clamps which grip the coupler and through positiveaction remove it from the pipe.

A very important objective of this invention is also to provide a methodand apparatus for the removal of couplers from joints of pipe wherebythe time required at the end ofa pipe coating line for removal of theconpiers is significantly reduced thereby eliminating the logjam at theend of the coating line as has sometimes resulted from prior manualmethods of removing the couplers.

Still another aim of this invention is to provide a method and apparatusfor pulling couplers from coated pipe wherein the couplers are removedfrom the joints of pipe and immediately deposited at a point remote fromthe location of the joints to thereby increase the area available forhandling of the joints while simultaneously reducing the time lost inrecovering the coated couplers.

One of the objects of this invention is also to provide a coupler forcoupling and protecting the ends of a pair of joints of pipe wherein thecoupler is comprised of a single unitary sleeve thereby reducing byone-half the handling required as compared to prior couplers of themale-female type.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the coupler puller of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the coupler puller illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3is an enlarged side elevational view of the coupler puller shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 4- is a vertical cross-sectionalview through the coupler puller asshown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the puller looking in the directionof the clamp structure;

FIG. 6 is afragmentary side elevational view of the forward end of thecoupler puller, illustrating the manner in which the coupler wouldberemoved from a coatedjoint ofpipe;

FIG; 7is an enlarged cross-sectional view through the end of a jointof'pipe and a coupler disposed thereon, illustrating the manner in whichthe coating is fractured atthe point ofjuncture between the end of thecoupler and the pipe coating; and

FIG. 8is a vertical cross-sectional view through the novel coupler ofthe invention.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, the coupler puller of the invention isdesignated generally by the numeral 10 and is mounted for reciprocablemovement along a pair of spaced tracks 12. The puller 10 is comprised ofa base member designated generally by the numeral 14, a verticallydisposed upright standard 16 which is mounted atop the base member 14and an elongated telescoping arm 18. The base member 14 includes across-braced rectangular framework constructed from angle iron or anequally strong material with a roller (not visible) dis posed at eachend of the framework for reciprocably mounting the same on the tracks12.

An externally toothed gear 22 is rotatably mounted atop the framework 20for rotation in a horizontal plane. The gear 22 is powered by anappropriate prime mover such as an air motor 24 which is coupled withthe gear 22 by a driving chain 26.

Referring additionally to FIG. 4, the upright standard 16 is comprisedof an inner housing 28 of rectangular cross section which is rigid withthe gear 22 and an outer housing 30 which is telescoped over the housing28 and mounted for sliding vertical movement relative to the latter by aplurality of rollers 32 mounted on the outside of the housing 30 inengagement with the housing 28 as a result of appropriate openings inthe outer housing. Sliding movement of the outer housing 30 relative tothe inner housing 28 is further facilitated by an upright cylinder 34which is disposed within the inner housing 28 and rigidly mounted on theframework 20, which cylinder receives a piston 36. The piston 36 is, inturn, coupled with the outer housing through a plurality of plates 38. Acollar 40 on the piston 36 mounts a flange 42 for forming a seal withthe inner housing 28. The outer housing 30 is moved relative to theinner housing 28 by a pair of power cylinders 44 each of which issecured at one end to the gear 22 and has its piston rod coupled withthe uppermost plate 38. A bracket 46 which projects laterally from theouter housing 30 and is rigid with the latter, mounts a power cylinder48 which is coupled with the telescoping arm 18 for purposes to be madeclear hereinafter. The uppermost plate 38 supports a pair of trunnions50 which serve to mount the arm 18 for rotational movement about ahorizontal axis by the power cylinder 48.

The arm 18 is comprised of a first elongated tubular section 52 and asecond elongated tubular section 54 which is telescopically receivedwithin the section 52. A plurality of rollers 56 which are mounted onthe first section 52 and project through appropriate openings in thelatter provide a frictionless surface for sliding movement of thesection 54 relative to the section 52. A two-way, positive action, powercylinder 58 disposed within the sections 52 and 54 is secured at one endto a plate 60 which is rigid with the section 52 and has its piston rod62 rigidly secured to the section 54 through a pair of plates 64.

The working end of the arm 18 is provided by an elongated bar 66 whichis rigidly secured to a plate 68 which is bolted to a flange 70 that iswelded to the end of the section 54. From FIG. 2 it is seen that the bar66 is provided with a sleeve 72 telescoped thereover and rigid therewithto provide a mount for a clamp structure designated generally by thenumeral 74. The clamp structure 74 includes a pair of clamps 76 and 78each of which is mounted on the sleeve 72 by a pair of integral ears 80(one of each pair being visible in FIG. 2) and a pivot pin 82. Theclamps 76 and 78 can thus rotate about the vertical axes of the pins 82and since the axes are in planar alignment, a jaw-like action of theclamps 76 and 78 is possible. Each of the clamps 76 and 78 is the mirrorimage of the other and hence only one will be described in detail withcorresponding parts of the other clamp being given the same referencenumerals. The clamp 78 includes a generally planar curvilinear portion84 which extends in the direction of the plate 68 and is provided withan upwardly extending wedge 86 for coupling the clamp 78 with a powercylinder 88 of the two-way positive action type. The curvilinear portionmerges into a linear bight portion 90 having an opening therein forreceiving the pivot pin 82. The bight portion 90 in turn is integralwith and merges into a first leg 92 of an L-shaped portion, the otherleg ofwhich is designated by the numeral 94. A pair ofgusset plates 96one of which extends above and one of which extends below the leg 94serve to mount an arcuate component 98 which is disposed in a planeperpendicular to the plane of the clamp 78.

From FIG. 5 it is seen that a bracket 100 extending upwardly from thesleeve 72 mounts the power cylinder 88 and a second bracket 102 whichdepends from the sleeve 72 mounts a second power cylinder 88 which iscoupled with the clamp 76.

Mounted atop the section 52, directly above the standard 16, is aT-staff 104. The T-staff 104 serves as a mast for supporting air lines106, 108, and 112 which deliver air to the respective power cylindersabove described.

A joint of pipe 114 having an outer surface 115 has its ends, one ofwhich is visible in FIG. 7 and designated by the numeral 116, protectedby a coupler designated generally by the numeral 118. The coupler 118protects the outer surface during application of a coating 120. Thecoating 120 is normally comprised of an asphaltie mastic-type materialwhich protects the pipe v 114 from deterioration after it is placedunderground or underwater. The coupler 118 serves two purposes. Itprotects the ends of the joint of pipe 114 to provide a cutaway portionof the coating 120 which can then be utilized to join two joints of pipetogether by welding. The coupler 118 also serves to couple two joints ofpipe together for the coating operation to allow the coating 120 to beapplied in a continuous uninterrupted manner.

The coupler 118 comprises an elongated, cylindrical, open-ended sleeve122 having an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameterof the pipe 1 14. Centrally disposed longitudinally of the sleeve 122 soas to bisect the latter is a partition in the form of a webbed member124. A plurality of openings such as 126 and 128 in the member 124 helpreduce the overall weight of the coupler 118 and provide means forgrasping the coupler with a hook (not shown) to transport the couplerfrom one location to another.

During the coating operation, the coating 120 is applied to the surface115 of the pipe 114 and the coupler 118 to provide a continuousuninterrupted covering as illustrated in FIG. 2. When the coatingoperation is completed, the coated pipe 114 is moved into fore-andaftalignment with the coupler puller 10. The coupler puller 10 has beenpreviously moved along the track 12 to a particular location suitablefor the length of the pipe being coated. Since the diameter of thejoints of pipe 114 will also vary over a wide range, it is desirable toactuate the cylinders 44 to raise or lower the vertical disposition ofthe telescoping arm 18 so that the axis of the arm will be in alignmentwith the longitudinal axes of the particular joints of pipe beingcoated.

The coated pipe 114 is moved into alignment with the puller 10immediately after application of the coating 120 and before the coatinghas had an opportunity to completely cool and harden. The cylinder 58 isthen actuated to extend the arm section 54 to a point where the clamps76 and 78 can grasp the coupler 118, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Thecylinders 88 are next activated to exert a clamping force against thewalls of the coupler 118. The clamping force exerted should be of amagnitude sufficient for the edges of arcuate components 98 to rupturethe coating 120 to thus give the clamps 76 and 78 a bite on the coatedcoupler. As the clamping force is continued under the action of thecylinders 88 a pulling force is exerted on the coupler 118 by reversingthe flow of fluid through the cylinder 88 to retract the arm section 54.This pulling force causes the coating 120 to fracture at the pointofjuncture between the end of the coupler 118 and the coating 120 on thesurface 115 of the pipe 114. This fracturing of the coating 120 is bestillustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings. By continuing to retract the armsection 54, coupler 118 is moved relative to the pipe 114 to slide theformer off the end of the latter. In certain instances where difficultyin fracturing the coating 120 is encountered or the coupler 118 bindsagainst the end 116, it is desirable to reciprocate the clamps 76 and 78in a vertical plane to jar the coupler 118 loose from the end 116. Thisis accomplished by actuating the cylinder 48 to move the arm 118 aboutthe pivot points presented by the trunnions 50. The cylinder 48 can bemoved in first one direction and then the other to accomplish thedesired result.

After the coated coupler 118 clears the end 116 of the pipe 114 it isdesirable to remove the coupler from the vicinity of the pipe to allowfurther handling of the latter while delivering the former to a clean-uparea where the coating 120 can be removed and the coupler 118 thenplaced on the end of another joint of pipe 114. This is readilyaccomplished by actuating the motor 24 to effect rotation of the gear 22and thereby rotate the entire coupler through an arc of 180 where thecoupler 18 can then be placed on a conveyor for delivery to a clean-upstation. While it is not essential that the coupler puller 10 be swungthrough an arc of 180, it is desirable that it pass through an arc of atleast 90 to clear the area where the joints of pipe 114 are beinghandled. The coupler 118 is released from the grip of the clamps 76 and78 by reversing the flow of fluid through the cylinders 88 to move theclamps into the phantom position illustrated in FIG. 5. Once the coupler118 has been released, the coupler puller 110 is returned back throughthe 180 are to position it for receiving a coated coupler 118 fromanother joint of pipe 114.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for pulling a coupler from the end of an elongatedcylindrical joint of pipe wherein the pipe and the coupler are coatedwith a continuous, uninterrupted thick mastic coating, said apparatuscomprising:

a base member;

an upright standard coupled with the member and extending therefrom;

an elongated arm mounted on said standard in a horizontal plane anddisposed for back and forth movement,

said arm adapted to be disposed in longitudinal alignment with a jointof pipe;

means for raising and lowering the vertical elevation of the arm topermit axial alignment of the arm with a coupler on the pipe;

first and second planar arcuate components disposed at the end of saidarm for complementally engaging a coated pipe coupler over a majorportion of the coupler circumference,

each of said components being pivotally mounted on the arm forsimultaneous movement with the other component in a jaw-like action,

each of said components having an edge for rupturing said coating whenmoved into engagement with the latter to thereby effectively bite intothe coated coupler;

first power means for effecting movement of said components; and

second power means for moving said arm forward to position saidcomponents for engagement of the coupler and backwards after saidcomponents have bitten into the coated coupler to thereby fracture thecoating at the line ofjuncture between the coupler and the pipe andslide the coupler from the end of the pipe.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said arm is comprised of a pair oftelescoping sections, said second power means comprising a cylinderdisposed for movement of one of said sections relative to the other ofsaid sections, and said components being carried by said one section.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein said base member is pivotallymounted for rotation in a horizontal plane to allow deposition of saidremoved coupler at a location spaced from said joint of pipe.

4. The invention of claim 3, and means for rotating said member.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein said arm is pivotally mounted onsaid standard for movement about a horizontal axis, and including meansfor moving said arm about said horizontal axis.

1. Apparatus for pulling a coupler from the end of an elongatedcylindrical joint of pipe wherein the pipe and the coupler are coatedwith a continuous, uninterrupted thick mastic coating, said apparatuscomprising: a base member; an upright standard coupled with the memberand extending therefrom; an elongated arm mounted on said standard in ahorizontal plane and disposed for back and forth movement, said armadapted to be disposed in longitudinal alignment with a joint of pipe;means for raising and lowering the vertical elevation of the arm topermit axial alignment of the arm with a coupler on the pipe; first andsecond planar arcuate components disposed at the end of said arm forcomplementally engaging a coated pipe coupler over a major portion ofthe coupler circumference, each of said components being pivotallymounted on the arm for simultaneous movement with the other component ina jaw-like action, each of said components having an edge for rupturingsaid coating when moved into engagement with the latter to therebyeffectively bite into the coated coupler; first power means foreffecting movement of said components; and second power means for movingsaid arm forward to position said components for engagement of thecoupler and backwards after said components have bitten into the coatedcoupler to thereby fracture the coating at the line of juncture betweenthe coupler and the pipe and slide the coupler from the end of the pipe.2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said arm is comprised of a pair oftelescoping sections, said second power means comprising a cylinderdisposed for movement of one of said sections relative to the other ofsaid sections, and said components being carried by said one section. 3.The invention of claim 1, wherein said base member is pivotally mountedfor rotation in a horizontal plane to allow deposition of said removedcoupler at a location spaced from said joint of pipe.
 4. The inventionof claim 3, and means for rotating said member.
 5. The invention ofclaim 1, wherein said arm is pivotally mounted on said standard formovement about a horizontal axis, and including means for moving saidarm about said horizontal axis.